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NEW FACE (FEATURE)

NEW FACE (FEATURE)
By Luciano Mello

GENRE: Drama
LOGLINE:

When an insecure teenager takes the chance to become a model and prove to her mother that she is worthy, she finds the dream job hides a disturbing reality, and to survive this industry, she needs to become a true activist.

SYNOPSIS:

Stella is a teenager insecure with her height and thin body. She lives in a small, cold town in the middle of nowhere, along with her mother Helena (36), a pragmatic, hard-working cleaning lady. They share a distant and dry relationship. Helena wants Stella to get a job, and be more responsible, she is almost sixteen now, and life is not easy for them.

Helena never talks about Stella’s father, Stella feels guilty and thinks her mother blames her for that.

She lives in a hopeless state of inertia and routine dreaming with a better life, just like her idol, the top model Mirella shows on Instagram.

One day The SCOUTER from the famous modeling agency I.N.T. approaches Stella after school and invites her to work as a fashion model. He is the one who found the top Mirella, but at first, she doesn't believe it and google him to find this is all real.

Later, at Stella's house, The Model Scouter explains to Helena that Stella not only has the right measurements but she also has the ideal genetics for fashion and beauty and tells her this is not only safe for Stella, but she can also make good money as a professional model. Stella wants to take this opportunity to be independent and prove to her mother that she can be someone and not just a burden on her life.

Right after her 16 birthday, Stella arrives in "The City", a mix between NY, and Paris. At the agency, she meets the owner an elegant former supermodel, Dione (55), she is the "Mother" on Mother agency, sweet and welcoming, with a keen eye to find top models, she right way sends Stella's photos to her best client directly to her friend, JUNIOR the C.E.O of RAV cosmetics, and he replies, saying “he will keep an eye on her”.

When Stella moves to the model's apartment, she meets Louise (17), extroverted, intellectual, and a wannabe activist. In the first casting at the agency, Stella has her first contact with the rigid beauty standards of the profession, nervous she falls in front of the client and the bookers, however, she is chosen for her measures and because she is Junior's favorite option, later she discovers the painful emotional impact it has on those who are not chosen

Now Stella has to improve as a model and Louise helps with the “runway walk”, and uses some unusual techniques, but it works and Stella not only learns “the model walk” but they start a good friendship. At the Photo Studio, Stella gets a new haircut and makeup, and she finally sees herself as a model. But things start to get weird when she is harassed by the renowned photographer, and afraid to lose everything, she keeps that to herself. Back at the agency, Dione gives Stella the good news, she got the contract with Rav cosmetics, and she is invited to go right after fashion week to Rav's party with Mirella.

In the following weeks, Stella and the other New Faces models start the excruciating routine of casting with the main stylists and famous brands, that's when they suffer humiliations and need the worst side of the industry, but despite this Stella and Louise are selected and in the closing parade of Fashion week, we followed them from the dressing rooms to the catwalk. You can imagine how happy Stella is.

Later that day Stella doesn’t want to go alone to Rav’s Party and asks Louise to go with her. Later at the nightclub, they are having fun dancing, Mirella invites Stella for a toast with Junior in the penthouse, and Stella brings Louise with her. They meet Junior(60) and he makes a toast with them, but a few moments later both girls pass out, and Stella wakes with Louise on a bed, and they are both being abused by Junior. Stella fights back and runs with Louise, but she is too weak and scared, and leaves Louise in the lobby to be taken to a hospital and runs back to the apartment.

Stella is alone and in despair, and calls her mother, who understands what she is going through, in the way just a mother can do, but she is too far. A few days later, Dione blames Stella for what happens and reminds her that she is obligated by the contract to keep this confidential, or she can face financial and legal consequences. Dione lies saying Louise blames Stella for what happened and doesn't want to speak with her anymore.

Stella has no choice but to keep working for them for the next two years. One year later Stella shares with her therapy group some good news, she is studying Journalism, got a small apartment, and was able to help her mother, but Stella is not ok.

Helena visits her daughter and reveals who her father was and the trauma he left and tells her she was never a burden but the reason to keep going.

After Helena travels back home, Dione’s former assistant contacts Stella with enough evidence to expose Junior and Dione, so they team together and start a network to help other victims with the support of psychologists, lawyers, and journalists. Stella meets Louise who is back in town studying acting. Louise also wants justice, but she is not sure if they can win, so Stella invites Louise to her apartment and shows what they are doing to change things. This is the moment when a group of models, all victims of abuse, enter Stella's apartment and she explains they are going to take legal action so the abusers are held accountable, but they have a lot of work to do and need all the help possible.

Credits roll

Nathaniel Baker

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John Theroux

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B Eldin

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Genevieve Cadorette

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B A Mason

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B A Mason

The Logline is a tad too chunky, but the story itself is much-needed.

The superficial, stringent, shallow, shaming fashion sector shapes aesthetics so sadistically it adversely opposes its supposed stylishly glamorous reason for existing in the first place. The business of beauty is disgusting.

Luciano Mello

Thanks, Brad Mason. I think it is too chunk too, as an ESL I couldn't find better words and a short way to write it yet, but I'm working on it. Thanks for your feedback.

John Theroux

logline needs less about her decision to become a model and more about her "activism"

Catarina De Cèzanne

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Peter Romeo

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Antonio Arno

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Mark Bowes

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Tasha Lewis

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